South Carolina falls to 2-13 in SEC in senior Cooke’s final home game
Before South Carolina forward Malik Cooke was to be honored on the court for Senior Night, a video tribute to him flashed across the JumboTron.
The opening music to the highlights of Cooke’s Gamecock career was a Frank Sinatra classic — “My Way.”
Things have not always gone Cooke’s way. The team’s lone senior transferred in 2008 from Nevada and after having to redshirt for one year because of NCAA transfer rules he has seen the worst of times in his two years on the court.
A night that began with Cooke having a smile on his face ended with the same dejected expression he’s had for most of the season and with hands up in confusion.
With 1.4 seconds left in the game, Cooke watched his wish to leave Colonial Life with a win after a turbulent three years evaporate as Mississippi State’s Brian Bryant hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer off the inbounds bounce pass from Dee Bost in overtime, giving the Bulldogs a 69-67 win.
“I don’t know if I have a word to articulate how that one makes you feel,” said USC coach Darrin Horn after being silent for several seconds. “We played really well.”
The Gamecocks had a 60-58 lead with 24 seconds left in regulation, but a foul by sophomore Damontre Harris put MSU’s Arnett Moultrie on the line with a chance to tie. USC got the ball with 10 seconds left, but the last shot by point guard Bruce Ellington hit the rim, sending the game to overtime.
From there, the Gamecocks played an uphill battle as the Bulldogs jumped out to a quick lead and held on for most of the extra period. With the game tied at 67 after a Cooke layup, Ellington appeared to make a steal, but the referee said he stepped out, giving MSU the ball with 1.4 seconds.
“What we had talked about was keep them in front, switch inside and make them try to throw it over the top,” Horn said. “We had a switch and it was two freshmen and we just had a switch that didn’t happen properly. It was a mistake on our part.”
The two freshmen, Anthony Gill and Damien Leonard, had been strong in the second half after a first half that looked much like most of the games for the Gamecocks this season, shooting 11-of-31 from the field. USC got the offense going in the second half, shooting 42.9 percent behind Leonard’s nine points and Gill’s four rebounds. Horn said he left Gill and Leonard on the floor in the final seconds of overtime because they were the ones that had helped the team get into the position to win.
“It’s one of those games where you feel like you deserve to win the game, but then they make the last play,” Horn said.
After the game, Horn had his arm around Cooke as the band played the Alma Mater. Horn told Cooke to keep fighting because the season wasn’t over, as South Carolina travels to Georgia Saturday for the final regular season game before the SEC Tournament.
“I thought our young guys grew up a little bit tonight,” Horn said. “He’s a big part of that because of his consistency and the leadership he showed.”
While Cooke’s night began with Sinatra singing about recognizing the end, that realization came harder than he expected as he put his hands up in the air and hoped for one more chance.
“I guess a miscommunication happened,” Cooke said about the last play. “That’s what I was thinking — what happened? And then just staying focused because there has to be more time left.”